The forest had transformed from a golden sanctuary into a labyrinth of shifting shadows and mocking whispers. Mayari stumbled through the undergrowth, her breath coming in ragged, shallow gasps that burned her lungs. The panic was no longer a dull ache; it was a screaming siren in her head.
She pushed past a wall of thorny brambles, the sharp points catching on her dress and tearing at her skin, but she didn't feel the pain. All she could see were the faces of Vaxen and Kezabel, their big, curious eyes filled with the fear she imagined they must be feeling right now.
“Vaxen! Kezabel!” she screamed again, her voice cracking and sounding small against the vast, ancient silence of the woods.
She stopped for a moment to listen, her heart hammering against her ribs so loudly it was all she
